Hood cap for bottles and the like



Jan. 17, 1928.

W. L. WRIGHT' H001) CAP FOR BOTTLES AND THE LIKE Filed Dec. 30, 1924 w. on, W WW Patented Jan. 17, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILBUR L. WRIGHT, OF FULTON NEW-YORK, ASSIGNOR TO OSWEGO FALLS CORPORA- TION, OE FULTON, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

,HOOD GAP FOB BOTTLES AND THE LIKE.

Application filed December 30, 1924. Serial No. 758,888.

This invention relates to the art of exte riorly covering and protecting the mouth portions of containers such as glass bottles 'contamlng mllk and other beverages and food products having exterior rims, by means of paperor equivalent material hood caps and the like; and the objects and nature of the invention will be readily understood by those skilled in the art in the light of the following explanation of the materials employed'and the steps followed, and of the accompanying drawings thatillustr'ate what I now believe to be the preferred mechanical expression or embodiment of my invention from among other forms, arrangements and features within the spirit and scope of the invention.

In accordance with my previous inventions, hood caps'are produced having annular depending skirts, drawn by dies from a flexible fibrous material, such-as a paper sheet, with at least the securing or lower edge portion of such cap skirt impregnated with or carrying a suitable plastic or composition that is neutral against adhering to glass surfaces and that renders such skirt ortion, under certain conditions, capable of eing radially and annularly contracted under the bottle rim to and around the bottle neck and of becoming thus permanently set, stiff or rigid to lock the cap on the bottle forming'a liquid tight sealaround the bottle neck, all without the employment of metal rings or other added fastening devices for, securing the hood on thebottle mouth.

The paper hood cap trade requires advertising or other display matter produced on the cap tops by any suitable mechanical process, and also requires paper hood caps of a clear light color and attractive cleanly appearance. To meet these requirements, more or less expensive grades or qualities of paper are required, as Well as expensive grades of light color plastic materials or compositions that will not objectionably stain or color the paper impregnated thereby. I also find in practice, that the plastic orcomposition impregnating the skirtor a portion thereof, tends, under certain conditions, to creep or spread to other portions of the paper hood, even sometimes to the imprinted tops of such hoods, with a conof the desired cleanly attractive color and appearance capable of receiving attractive display matter, free from the presence or appearance of such plastic or composition,

and enabling me to employ a low quality paper material to receive the plastic or composltion and to form the actual securing or fastening portion of the hood device as completed and secured on the bottle. With this and other objects in view, my rnvention consists in the treatment and steps, and in features and structures as hereinafter set forth and specified.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof I Fig. 1 shows a glass milk bottle or the like sealed by a duplex paper hood cap structure in accordance with my present invention, the duplex cap structure being shown partially 1n vertical section, the thin ornamental outer or cover cap being partially broken away to Show the Separate major cap otherwise concealed by the cover cap, the set stiff plastic material or composition being shown greatly exaggerated the duplex cap.

Fig. 3 isa detail top view of the outer cap of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a detail top view of the inner .major securing cap before being applied to the bottle and covered by the outer cap.

Fig. 5 is a detail side elevation of the cap of Fig. 4, partially broken away.

The completed duplex cap structure of my invention embodies a major paper hood 1 and a separate outer cover paper hood 2,

nested or telescoped over the major hood, in such manner as to cover and conceal the major hood when cooperating therewith to constitute the duplex cover hood, secured on the bottle by the inherent characteristics of the plastic or composition carried by or impregnating the securing portion of the skirt of the ma or hood and which also serves to secure or fasten the pleated contracted skirt of the cover hood to the correspondingly pleated contracted skirt portion of the major hood.

The major hood 1 is drawn by dies from a single ply or thickness of flexible so-ealled pulp board or more or lcsslow grade sheet paper or equivalent flexible fibrous material to form a flat top a, and a downwardly and outwardly flaring pleated (or the like) annular skirt 6. The skirts are thus flared so that the hoods can be easily applied to the bottles and also to permit nesting of a series of the hoods one within the other to economize space for packing and storage.

The skirt of each hood 1, is of a length to surround the bottle rim 3, and depend below the downwardly facing annular shoulder formed by such rim, and thus provide the hood skirt with a lower securing portion that can be radially contracted to and under said s oulder to secure and lock the hood on the bottle.

At least this securing portion of the hood is treated or impregnated or otherwise provided with a plastic or composition that will impart to the paper material impregnated or carried thereby certain characteristics, and such hood is provided or impregnated with such material or materials to form the securing portion 1, and is so placed on the market in the shape, form and condition approximately as shown by Fig. 5.-

Such treated skirt possesses the characteristics of being moldable, or capable of being moldable under certain conditions. by pressure and pleating, crimping or otherwise, to radially and annularly contract under the bottle rim and-seal tightly against the glass surface and to fixedly set in a stiff rigid condition tomaintain the seal and the hood secured on the bottle and to possess suflicient tensile strength to maintain the contracted securing portion against accidental expansion and loosening, and yet permit expansion or tearing thereof when it is necessary to strip the hood from the bottle preparatory to gaining access to the interior thereof. The treated portion should be as nearly waterproof as possible, should not adhere or deposit on glass surfaces, should not be injuriously effected by climatic conditions, should not mold, and should not attract insects or vermin, and should not be objectionable for use on milk, beverages, or other food products.

The plastic or composition impregnating or carried by the hood skirt can be of such nature as to render such skirt hard, stifi or rigid at atmospheric temperatures, and soft, pliable or moldable when heated to approxi mately a certain temperature, above climatic or normal temperatures, so that the skirt can be when thus hot, contracted tightly to the bottle under said rim by a suitable pressure applying and contracting head, and will then quickly set stiff and permanent in such contracted form by cooling to atmospheric conditions.

The plastic or composition, on the other hand might be of such nature as to cause the securing portion of the skirt to set in stifl contracted form as the material rapidly dries.

The plastic or composition might constitute a cement that becomes fused, set and insoluble b the application of heat, such as certain asp altum compositions, or that becomes fused or soft by application of heat and rigidified by cooling, characteristics possessed by certain condensation products or so-called resins.

At present, however, I usually dip the skirts of the hoods 1, in a hot solution of any suitable so-called wax, such as disclosed by my Patent No. 1,603,057, dated October 12, 1926. The hoods after such dipping are allowed to drain and cool. By cooling the impregnated portions of the skirts set stiff and rigid and are thus packed and shipped.

However, I do not wish to limit my present invention to such composition nor to any particular plastic, composition orsubstanees with which the skirt of the major hood may be impre ated or which said skirt may car to impart thereto the characteristics hereinbefore referred to.

The outer or cover hood 2, is preferably pressed up from a relatively thin single ply sheet of good quality paper, such as thin strong white paper, to provide a flat top and a downwardly and outwardly flaring fluted or corrugated annular skirt 2. The skirt 2, of the thin flexible cover hood is at least as long as the skirt of the relatively heavy paper major hood.

This thin cover hood is designed to receive the advertising or other display matter which can be applied to the outer surface thereof both top and skirt. if desired, by printing or any other suitable mechanical process. This cover hood aflords opportunity for the use of distinctive coloring and decorative printing in various designs and colors to distinguish the products of a producer, or'to distinguish grades or kinds of products. These thin flexible advertising and decorative cover hoods are produced. usually by a different method from that employed in making the major hoods, and are printed and supplied to the trade separately from the major hoods and in the form approximately as disclosed by Fig. 2. The cover hoods are nested for packing and are of a size and form to fit down over the major hoods for contracting and securing as hereinafter explained.

When bottles that have been filled, and then closed by internal milk caps for instance, are ready for hood capping, the major hoods having impregnated skirts, say as shown by Fig. 5, are heated (when impregnated with a plastic or composition that softens by heat and sets by cooling) and then slipped over the bottle mouths while still soft and pliable. A thin cover hood, such as shown by Fig. 2, is then slipped over the major hood on the "bottle month while the securing portion of the major hood is still hot and soft, to loosely cover and enclose said major hood. A suitable contracting and pressure applying tool or head, is then caused to close around the skirt 2", of the cover hood and radially and annularly contract said skirt and'the skirt 1 of the major hood within the same, under the bottle rim shoulder and compress together the lower portions of the two skirts and radially pleat or gather said skirts as an entirety and compress the same radially and tightly against the bottle neck uniformly completely around the circle thereof, and thus tightly compress and hold the same for the short .interval of time during which the impregnated securing skirt portion 1, stiifens into set rigid securing form, to the extent necessary to permit release of the contracting head or tool. The container will then be hooded, as indicated by the disclosure of Fig. l, and the duplex hood will be tightly held to and exteriorly sealing the bottle mouth by the stiff set contracted securing portion 1 of the major hood, against accidental expansion and loosening. The characteristics of the securing portion are such that objectionable deposit on the glass surface will be avoided, the securing portion will be proof against such absorption of moisture as to cause expansion and loosening, and yet the skirt can be torn or expanded by the fingers or by a suitable tool to permit loosening and stripping of the duplex hood from the bottle.

The impregnated portion when rendered soft by heat will adhere to paper material, although not to glass surfaces, and hence the lower portion of the skirt of the cover hood under the compressing pressure, of the contracting head, is caused to adhere to the soft securing portion 1 of the major hood, and the overlapping compressed pleats or crimped portions of the contracted skirts are caused to adhere tightly together.

The cover hood is heIYce secured at its lower portion only to the securing portion 1, of the major hood, in the applied secured duplex hood structure, the cover hood being otherwise free from and loosely fitting the ma or hood.

In the applied duplex hood structure,the

cover hood conceals and covers the entire outer surface of the major hood including the impregnated securing portion 1", and hence conceals all discolorations and objectionable colors that may be imparted to the major hood by the plastic, or composition carried thereby or by reason of the poor quality or low grade of the paper material of said major hood.

By employing the cover hood, I can use relatively low grade material for the major hood, and thus save in cost approximately enough to make up for the added cost of the relatively thin good quality paper employed for the cover hoods, so that the complex duplex hood structure Will cost approximately no more than the impregnated hood made of the quality of paper neces-' sary before my production of this duplex hood structure.

Where the securing portion 1 of the major hood carries substance or plastic that is fused or rendered effective by heat to form a fused cement or the like, the contracting and pressure applying head, hereinbefore described, is heated to the temperature necessary to cause fusing of the plastic or other substance in or on the major hood skirt and to cause the cover hood skirt to secure thereto.

Both with the substance or plastic that is fused by heat, and the Wax composition that softens by heat and cools to rigid con dition, the cheaper and more desirable substances, plastics or compositions for my purposes, objectionably color and stain the paper of the major hood, and tend to creep and spread within the paper, even Where the entire major hood is not impregnated with such plastic, substances or compositions, as

is sometimes done.

While the cover hood is secured by the lower portion its skirt through the adhesive action of the securing portion 1 of the major hood, yet the plastic or composition carried by "the major hood skirt does not stain or enter into the. cover hood skirt to the extent necessary to visibly stainor' discolor the outer surface of the cover hood skirt.

The thin flexible fluted skirt of the cover hood is contracted in diameter and with the heavier skirt of the major hood, and the surplus paper of both skirts resulting from such contraction in diameter is formed in pleats or crimps and these are overlapped hood which is bound, faced and concealed by the supporting cover hood skirt.

It will be noted that the major hood can be supplied with the plastic or composition throughout its entire body, surface or surfaces, instead of only throughout its skirt, or throughout only the securing portion of its skirt.

It will also be noted that the cover hood does not carry a plastic or composition for rendering the same moldable and ultimately stiff or rigid. The plastic or composition can bewithin the paper of the major hood without coating :1 surface or surfaces there of, although the plastic or composition can appear on the surface of the portion of the paper impregnated thereby. The showing of Figs. 1 and 5, in this respect, however, is greatly exaggerated, for purposes of explanation, and the invention is not so limited. As a matter of fact, such a coating is not present and is not desired.

It will be noted that if the substance or composition is distributed throughout the body and skirt of the major hood so that the major hood is impregnated with or without being thereby coated throughout its top and skirt, said major hood will nevertheless have its annular skirt formed or provided with a moldable securing portion. Major hoods thus impregnated and or coated throughout, as by complete submerging in the impregnating solution, can be successfully em ployed in my hood cap structure because of the separately formed cover hood which encloses and conceals the major hood and which does not become stained or discolored thereby and which is caused to adhere thereto, preferably, only at the lower skirt portion where the contracting pressure of the securing head is applied.

It is evident that various changes, modifications and variations might be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention and hence I do not wish to limit myself to the exact disclosures hereof.

What I claim is:

1. A duplex paper material hood cap embodying a relatively thick flexible major hood having its annular depending skirt formed with a moldable securing portion that sets stifi after molding, and a relatively thin individually-complete flexible cover hood formed to slip on and cover and conceal the major hood, the skirt of the cover hood formed to be pressed inwardly against and folded with the skirt of the major hood when said skirts are contracted in diameter and molded under the rim of a container, said securing portion of the major hood skirt being adhesive during the molding operation to secure the cover hood skirt.

2. A duplex hood cap comprising a flexible paper material individually-complete major hood having its annular depending skirt formed with an annular securing portion moldable for contraction under the rim of a bottle and capable of setting to stiff rigid form after such molding, in combination with an individually-complcte flexible sheet paper material cover hood constructed and formed to slip over and cover the major hood before the skirt of such major hood has been molded, the skirt of said cover hood formed to face and be folded and molded with and caused to adhere to said securing portion of the skirt of the major hood.

3. A duplex hood cap comprising a singleply sheet paper material major hood havlng the annular securing portion of its skirt carrying a plastic or composition rendering the same capable of molding and of setting rigid after molding, in combination with a flexible sheet paper material cover hood constructed and formed to slip over and cover the major hood and its skirt before said major hood skirt is molded, said cover hood skirt formed to adhere to and to be molded with said major hood skirt with the surplus materials of both skirts taken up by folds.

4:. A container at its mouth portion having an exterior rim, in combination with a hood cap structure covering said mouth portion and rim and having its annular depending skirt set in rigid form contracted in diameter and flattened out against said container under said rim, said cap structure consisting of a sheet paper material major hood the skirt of which forms and provides the rigid securing portion of said cap structure, and an individually-completely separably formed flexible sheet paper material decorative cover hood slipped over and covering and concealing the major hood and having its skirt contracted and folded therewith and adhering to and strengthening said securing portion.

5. In the art of hood capping a container having an exterior rim at its mouth portion, those steps which consist in covering the mouth portion of said container with a major hood of sheet paper material having its annular depending skirt formed with a moldable securing portion that sets stifl" after molding, then slipping a separately-formed flexible sheet paper cover hood over said major hood and thereby covering and concealing the same, and then applying external inward contracting pressure to the skirts of said hoods to together contract the same in diameter under said rim and cause the skirt of the cover hood to adhere to said seglll'llg portion of the skirt of the major 6. In the art of hood capping a milk bottle and the like, those steps which consist in exteriorly covering the mouth portion of the bottle with a paper material major hood carrying a composition or substance that ill! will not adhere to glass but will adhere to paper material and that renders such paper material moldable when hot and stiff and rigid when cool, and with a separatelyformcd flexible paper material finishing cover hood exterior-1y covering and concealing said major hood and not carrying or impregnated with said composition or substance of the major hood; and then simultaneously contracting the diameter of the skirts of said two hoods and molding the same under the exterior rim of the bottle.

7. A milk bottle and the like, in combination with a protective hood cap structure exteriorly covering the mouth. portion of the bottle and set stiff and rigid in diametrical contracted form under the bottle mouth portion rim, said structure embodying a paper material major hood impregnated with or carrying a substance or composition rendering it moldable and capable of setting still and rigid, and a cover hood free of said substance or composition with which the major hood is impregnated, and enclosing and concealing said major hood and forming the exterior finished or decorative surface of the completed hood cap structure and having its contracted skirt creased and gathered into folds with the major hood skirt.

8. A bottle the head of which is formed with an exterior rim, in combination with a protective hood cap structure exteriorly covering the bottle head and embodying an annular depending skirt diametrically contracted under and in stiff cap structure securing form against said rim with the sur-' plus material of the skirt gathered into folds, said cap structure consisting of a sheet paper material hood having an annular depending skirt; an annular sheet material band exteriorly surrounding said skirt and adhering thereto and contracted in diameter therewith under said rim, the skirt and band being both formed with said gathered folds; and a binder whereby the portion of the hood cap structure carrying the same is rendered moldable when hot and capable of quick settin to stiif securing condition and whereby said binder and cap skirt are caused to adhere together.

9. In the art of hood capping container heads having exterior rims, those steps which consist in assembling on the container head a sheet paper material hood cap having a depending creased annular skirt exteriorly surrounded by a creased annular sheet mate rial band at least one of which is in temporary condition for molding and then setting to stiff contracted hood cap securing condition closely adhering to the other, and then annularly pressing the band and skirt as one inwardly under said rim and gathering the surplus material of both into folds to contract the diameter thereof, and holding the same until set to stiff hood cap securing condition. p

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand at Fulton, N. Y. this 24th day of December, 1924.

WILBUR L. WRIGHT. 

